Point Men

I was interested in watching this film in part because it was directed by John Glen, who had directed several James Bond movies in the 1980s that I had liked. However, after watching this movie, all I could think was that Glen's status as a director had fallen greatly in the years between James Bond and this film. To be fair, Glen was working with a script that really needed a few more rewrites before filming - the opening is kind of vague, the chief villain character is kind of vague, and various plot details here and there are vague as well. Despite this inadequate script, the movie could still have been fun with some energetic direction. But the movie is slow-moving and the few action sequences really lack zip and punch. Though this may have been in part due to the low budget, which also results in the movie having a somewhat cheap look and feel that resembles low budget Canadian television shows from the 1990s. To date, this is the final movie that Glen has directed. Maybe that's for the best.

THE POINT MEN, made in 2001, is an action vehicle centred around waning star Christopher Lambert, whose HIGHLANDER days were long behind him by this stage. The plot is very much run of the mill for genre, involving a shifty Middle Eastern villain who's got a vendetta against a team of crack operatives, and it's all very familiar. But there's one thing that makes this special: the presence of Bond director John Glen at the helm.

Yes! Incredibly enough, Glen's star has also fallen far enough for him to be reduced to this kind of low-budget fare. That's great news for the film, which incorporates a series of stunning action sequences which are clearly handled by a master director; the opening chase is particularly vivid and exciting, good enough to rival Glen's work on the Bond films a couple of decades earlier.

As the story progresses I found myself highly entertained, purely down to the direction. The bit with the truck is also excellent, and if it does tail off a bit towards the end then that's forgivable. Cast-wise, Lambert gives a typical turn, leaving me with the usual impression: that he's a nice guy, but that he doesn't have much presence. Kerry Fox is miscast, but GAME OF THRONES star Donald Sumpter lends some gravitas and Vincent Regan is ever decent, this time as the bad guy. Watch out for former Bond girl Maryam d'Abo in a minor role...

Rare are the authors that are able to create a vivid movie about the clashes of Israeli hitmen and Arab terrorists. 007 - veteran John Glen joined the legion of these greats with his latest feature THE POINT MEN. "Ripley Highsmith"`s script (based on Steve Hartov`s novel THE HEAT OF RAMADAN) served as an exceptional reason for the reunion of the reliable B - cast that doesn`t even warm the bench in the mainstream cinema these days. Action fans eventually got an opportunity to enjoy a pretty smart conception of heartwarming cliches from the , allegedly dead, MOSSAD - genre that was revived by an intelligent script, above average budget and Glen`s crafty direction of gunfights and car chases where bullets really hit the flesh and real cars get smashed up. No comment belongs out of this statement. There`s just home cinema for all those action buffs who craved for a good flip of an expensive Mercedes ever since McTiernan`s DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE.

Me being a huge fan of Lamberts movies I decided to splash out and buy "The Point Men" for a mere £2.98.

I wasn't expecting too much from this movie. I had a suspicion it would be just another dumb B-movie action movie...and I was correct.

At times, I drifted off while watching "The Point Men". At times this movie seemed quite confusing. I also experienced deja-vu on numerous occasions during this movie, it had a "seen it all before" feel to it.

But when I compare The Point Men to some of Lambert's earlier movies such as Gunmen, Road Flower, and even the dreadful Highlander II (the first Highlander is a classic)then The Point Men doesn't seem all that bad.

Overall, there's nothing special about The Point Men, it's just another low budget action movie with little purpose but I have to say, it's certainly not the worst "terrorist" action movie I've seen.

And whats with that ridiculous moustache Lambert wears towards the end?!?

5/10

The movie Point Men is essentially a start to finish action movie. Director John Glen gives a trademark stylish view of terrorism set in the middle east. The story is horrific, and even more so knowing it's actually based on a true story.

Cinematographer Alec Mills makes the film look very real and gives it the air it needs in forming an atmosphere that's both nice to watch and somewhat difficult to look at as it depicts the tone of violence in an very effective way.

Although the film has obvious lack of budget, John Glen somehow manages to make an effective action film that mainly look gloss and feature some breathtaking driving sequences.

It has, in glimpses, a sort of Glen's Bond feel to it. The performance from C.Lambert is at his best. Although that doesn't say too much as I have a sneaking suspicion he just about always acts as himself.

I'd give it a 7/10 for it's Glen/Mills/Lambert touch.